The Federal Court of Australia has ordered by consent that Origin Energy Limited and two of its subsidiaries (Origin) pay penalties totalling $325,000 for contravening the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) by making false or misleading representations concerning the level of discount that residential consumers in South Australia would receive under a DailySaver energy plan, in proceedings brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

With energy markets in Australia delivering significant challenges for all involved, Chairman Rod Sims provides an update on the ACCC's work on the carbon tax repeal and discusses merger process issues. He also provides some thoughts on the coming privatisation of the Queensland generation assets, and comments on the rapidly changing east coast gas market.

More efficient use of, and investment in, infrastructure is essential to improve national productivity, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Chairman Rod Sims said today at the ACCC / AER Regulatory Conference in Brisbane.

“It is clear that recently in Australia some poor infrastructure investment decisions, by commission and omission, have harmed national productivity.”

Mr Sims said the annual conference is set to examine regulatory challenges and tackle questions about efficient infrastructure outcomes.

The Clean Energy Legislation (Carbon Tax Repeal) Act 2014 (the Act) which received Royal Assent on 17 July 2014, gave the ACCC powers under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA) to monitor prices and ensure cost savings attributable to the carbon tax repeal were passed on in the regulated industries.